Justice League: Crisis Spanning Two Multiverses
by Moonraker One
Summary: In the DC Multiverse, there is an Earth where the Crime Syndicate reigns supreme, and only Lex Luthor and his allies can stop them. So he travels to find those who can aid him. But, his calculations are off...   CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS REWRITE


Justice League: Crisis Spanning Two Multiverses  
By Moonraker One

PART ONE – DECOHERENCE

Explosions rocked a familiar secure storage facility on the outskirts of the major city, Metropolis. Two figures raced down a brightly-lit hallway. The first and most armored, a man with tanned Caucasian skin and a bald head, deactivated most of the security to enable their entrance. His name was Lex Luthor, and he planned the raid on the building for several months prior to the faithful evening. Next to him, a pale man with gaunt features as well as bright red lips and green hair, dashed along with his partner, the bells on his multi-colored court jester outfit jingling as he moved. His birth name unknown, he was, simply and appropriately enough, codenamed "the Jester." The two of them were the only surviving members of a coalition called the "Justice League," which dedicated its existence to stopping a villainous organization known to the oppressed world as the Crime Syndicate.

Luthor and the Jester stopped running several inches from a large grid of crisscrossing laser beams protecting a huge vault door with many locking mechanisms. Lex approached the computer console to the left of the grid, and, working his armor's technological wizardry, disabled the large grid. He drew back his metal-clad hand, flattening his palm like a shovel head. It glowed with energy from the powered suit he wore. "No time for niceities," he quipped, driving his hand into the titanium of the vault door. Prying the two openings apart with suit-assisted super strength, he applied force until the vault ripped off its hinges and went flying.

"Real stealthy, Lex," the Jester sarcastically said, covering his ears.

Lex explained without hesitating to turn around. "The moment I disabled the laser grid, it sent out a silent alarm," he said. The Jester donned a look of nervous stress. "They're already on their way." They quickly entered into a room filled with multiple safe doors in a circle along the cylindrical walls.

The Jester, always an animated person, leapt across the room and landed in a quasi-dance position, with his staff pointed at the specific safe door. "Dibs!" he cried. The staff, which had at its tip a caricature of his face, opened a small circular opening from which acid spewed onto the safe. As the titanium melted away, Luthor reached in and drew out the small metallic device which glowed blue from an orb in the center of the cylindrical lower half. "The Quantum Trigger!" said the Jester, beaming at their prize.

"Now, we have a chance," Lex happily said.

Unfortunately, his positive attitude quickly faded as a loud alarm sounded, indicating their presence as intruders.

They took off running just as monitors behind them showed two figures flying towards the facility at supersonic velocities. With his ability to remotely control the multiple security doors, Lex pressed a button to seal the titanium doors in a somewhat feeble attempt to slow the inevitable as long as possible. As doors slammed shut and locked behind them, they heard the familiar explosion of the security doors being busted through. As they approached a room with pipes leading down into the sewer access under the facility, they could practically feel the Crime Syndicate's men behind them. Despite having fought them before, they both still felt like their hearts would give out. Lex used a wrist-mounted laser to weld the door shut. "That's not going to hold them off for long," Lex said, pulling the grating over the sewer access off and jumping down.

The Jester saw the security door being sliced in half in two places. "That's not going to hold them off at all," he corrected. He jumped down, following his partner. The door exploded open behind them in a shower of titanium shards, just a few moments after they descended.

Traversing the sewer access, the Jester pulled open the large tube which led to the maintenance access. Lex jumped in first. He landed safely, turning to catch his friend.

"It's time to get serious, Lex," The Jester said, donning a sorrowful yet realistic expression. Luthor wanted to pull him down; anything to get him out of the path of fire.

The Jester hesitated. "Come on! Jump!" exclaimed Luthor, fearful of the result of waiting.

Explosions went off behind the Jester. The nervous look on his face seemed to tell the tale of his decision. "Get your shiny bald head out of here! It hurts my eyes!" Having said those last words to his friend, he slammed the maintenance access lid shut. He then turned around and walked away from it, hoping to draw their attention away. He felt foolish for his self-sacrifice, yet at the same time, it gave him a strange sense of pride he hadn't felt before. It was cut short, though, as a fist knocked him flying from behind.

A four-armed figure changed his flight path by shoulder slamming him into the far wall. He laughed at being cornered, even as he knew his fear was real. "What can I say?" he asked, trying to adopt a coy attitude.

The blonde-haired, winged woman drove a flaming sword straight into the middle of his torso. The unearthly heat cauterized the wound instantly as he screeched in pain. They both approached closer, the woman giving a gesture indicating she wanted something he had.

"Okay, okay!" he pleaded in a frightened tone. "I'm down to my last joke anyway." He reached into his pocket, presumably to pull out the Quantum Trigger. Instead, he pulled out a spherical black bomb, fist-sized, with a radioactivity symbol on the front of it. He sneered as he clicked it to activate. "But this one'll kill ya."

A half a mile away from the facility, Lex climbed out of the sewer and stood up, just in time for a violent explosion to destroy an entire floor of the building. Sadness and anger, as well as hundred other emotions, raged through him in the moment afterward. "It won't be in vain, old friend," he uttered to himself.

"LUTHOR!" a powerful voice shouted, with hints of a Brooklyn-Italian accent.

He turned around to face the source, even though he knew who it was automatically. Sure enough, several powerful figures walked in aggressive postures towards him. The man in front, garbed in a bluish superhero costume with a letter U emblazoned on the front, had a chiseled physique and a angry, square-jawed look of power. Also, there was a woman, garbed in a mostly torso-covering one piece that showed cleavage, who had a dark complexion and long black hair with a necklace that dipped into her breasts, with an S on it. Also, there was a man in a full body suit of custom armor that had an owl insignia on it, as well as a helmet that had an owl appearance. In addition, there walked a man wearing a yellow and black costume that had a Q on the chest composed of an O and a lighthing bolt, who had reddish-orange hair. Finally, a man in a green and black outfit with a green eye mask who wore a power ring finished off the crew.

"Did you think you could escape my ultra-vision?" said Ultraman, the U on his blue costume a symbol of death.

The yellow and black garbed man, Johnny Quick, spoke next. "You're going to pay for what you've done," he said, his thick cockney accent audible.

Luthor reached into a pocket on his armor. "I'm going to finish the job the Jester started," he replied. The device in his hand, a remote that had three panels pronged around the centerpiece in a triangle shape, sparked as he pressed a button. "But not just yet." In a dramatic display, his entire body donned a purplish glow and he vanished into thin air.

PART TWO – CRISIS ON…TWO EARTHS?

Lex Luthor phased back together on a busy street sidewalk. Slightly unnerved pedestrians either sidestepped him or outright moved around him, but the furor died within a moment, with most people seemingly accepting it and ignoring it. The lack of a fearful response by the people somewhat confused him; he immediately began walking. He next noticed that some of the architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen before. There were ordinary rectangular buildings, of course, but every so often he'd come across tall buildings shaped like mushrooms, with a tall slender body and a rounded top. Some of the highways were raised above the city streets, and contained within tunnels, so that they resembled long raised tubes. Possibly the most unnatural sight to him, was a billboard with a mustachioed man with afro-like hair giving a two-fingered peace sign, below which were the words "SATAN CITY."

_Something tells me I'm not in Metropolis_, Luthor thought, walking along. After stopping a few people for directions, he was pointed in the direction of a police station. They made some comment about his suit of armor. "Excuse me," he asked some random person, "why is this place called 'Satan City?'"

The man gave him a surprised look. "Doesn't everyone know? Hercule Satan is the man that saved our world from the evil monster known as Cell!" The man then walked away without giving Luthor another word.

_I guess I'm on the wrong world_, he realized. _I would expect a monster to be stopped by some variation of the Justice League._ He nevertheless continued walking, this time in the direction of the police station. As he crossed streets, he saw the unassuming building approach out of several examples of architecture that looked bizarre to him. _Did I calculate the coordinates of space-time wrong?_ He walked up the steps and through the door.

He stopped before a receptionist reading a newspaper. The officer looked up at him. "Can I help you, sir?" he asked, completely bored.

Luthor stood, confused and thinking about the situation. He calculated that his coordinates would take him to an Earth where he had an evil counterpart and that the version of the Crime Syndicate was good. Obviously, if this officer did not immediately recognize him, he rationalized, then he truly was on the wrong world. "Uh, I want to ask you a favor," he said, trying not to let his thoughts disrupt his speech. "I'd like for you to call the Justice League."

The officer gave him a perplexed stare. "What the hell is a 'Justice League'?"

He cursed, silently, as the words confirmed his error. "You must be familiar with them, they have superpowers, and they save lives all the time," he explained. He hoped, at least, that those words would produce a viable answer.

The officer suddenly had a realization of some kind. "Oh! You mean people like the Great Saiyaman and people like that?"

Luthor squinted in bewilderment. _What the hell is a Great Saiyaman?_ "Um, yes! Exactly. The Great Saiyaman. Can you get in touch with him, please? It's a matter most urgent."

Any trace of the officer's confusion was gone. He smiled politely. "Sure thing, sir! I can't guarantee when he'll show up, but if it's that urgent, he'll be the guy to help you!"

Luthor nodded. _Good. At least there are superheroes here. That means they might be able to help me._ "I'll be waiting in the room over there."

About two miles away from the police station, a young high school student in his late teens with spiky black hair was dashing away from the Orange Star High School campus when his watch went off. He cleared his throat and put on his best dramatic voice and looked around to make sure no one saw. "Great Saiyaman here," Gohan began. "What seems to be the trouble, officers?"

"There's a guy here, wearing a suit of some kind of armor, says it's really urgent that you come down and talk to him face to face," the officer's voice said.

Gohan squinted a bit. Suit of armor? Those were fishy words to him. "I'll be there soon enough, sir! By the way, what's his name?"

"Uh, he says it's Lex Luthor."

Gohan tilted his head, thinking. "Never heard of him, but I'll be sure to hear him out." He ducked behind a building, pressed his watch's red button, and his clothes were instantly replaced with a greenish tunic over a black undersuit and a red cape. He had an orange helmet on his head with a dark visor. He dashed towards the police station, leaving a barely-visible blur.

He entered the police station, and after a few compliments from the staff, he stepped into the waiting room. The man sat in a chair, and had a black and gold powered suit on. Gohan had never seen this person before, and it made him a bit uneasy. His fears resided a bit when he sensed no evil chi within the man. In fact, although he felt chi, it had an energy pattern unlike any he had ever experienced before, almost as if he weren't from reality.

"You're going to find what I have to say extremely hard to believe," Lex began.

"You're from another reality," Gohan interrupted.

Lex almost fell backwards in surprise. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Your chi," Gohan answered. "Everything living has a certain pattern to its life energy, and, even with variations in chi, that much is same for everything in this universe. Yours is different."

Lex began to contemplate the implications of having the existence of Chi proven to him, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside. "Yes. And where I come from, there is a horrible evil. If you could, please let me speak my part before the entire gathering you're a part of."

Gohan tilted his head a moment. "The what?"

Lex shifted his eyes back and forth. "The superhero team you belong to."

"Oh! I get what you're saying." He shrugged. "Well, we're really not a 'superhero team' or anything like that. We're just a bunch of friends who save the world." He saw the look Lex gave him. "I guess I'll take you to them. Can you fly?"

After forty minutes or so, at a fairly unassuming house in the mountains, a group of beings very strange to Luthor gathered around a dinner table. Even though he'd seen his share of superpowers, these people truly struck him with awe. The first thing he noticed was how informal they were; even his Justice League, which were mostly friends, was an official team first. Business matters always came first before personal friendships. These people seemingly only had their friendship and trust to bind them. Just as the "Great Saiyaman" had said, they truly were not a superhero team; they weren't even superheroes. They were just ordinary people with superpowers who occasionally had to step up to extraordinary circumstances. The next thing that struck him was the lack of costumes. Even though their outfits seemed like costumes to him, they were loose-fitting and didn't restrict movement in battle, and weren't that flashy compared to other clothes he'd seen. Obviously, these were ordinary clothes they wore all the time; most of them he recognized as variations of martial arts uniforms.

The fact that all their powers were roughly the same also startled him. Unlike his world, where ordinary people were powerless, here was a reality where anyone, through enough work and sweat, could at least approach the category the Earth Special Forces had. Most of them had been much weaker and got to their superpowered levels through training. He caught himself referring to them as the Earth Special Forces and had to remind himself that, that was just a nickname they used and did not refer to an actual organization name. He marveled a bit at the fact that they were meeting at a private residence; apparently, only Gohan had a secret identity.

The man who obviously was the leader approached Lex. Despite his muscular build and wild spiked hair, the man known as Goku, who his short, tall-haired compatriot referred to as "Kakarot," had a peaceful, almost child-like air about him. He looked at Lex, not with suspicion, but with the concern a friend might have for another friend in danger. "So, on your world, you led a group of heroes who were killed by a group of nasty people?" he asked. "That's terrible! Tell us all about it."

Lex stood, folding his hands behind his back. "On my world, I was the leader of a group called the Justice League," he explained. "We were systematically hunted down by a group of superpowered criminals known as the Crime Syndicate. They rule through fear, doing whatever they please, taking whatever they want, and occasionally turning their powers against a helpless populace. The governments of the world, in an attempt to maintain some minimal order, simply pretend they don't exist. Increasingly, though, they refuse to be ignored. They've completely intimidated authority, meaning the police won't arrest them, and prosecutors wouldn't press charges if they did."

A short man with black hair and no nose spoke up. "What's to stop them from simply killing everyone?" Krillin asked.

"The only thing they fear is nuclear annihilation," Lex answered. "You people are my world's only hope."

The man whose spiky hair pointed upwards entered the conversation. "So, are they similar to us?" Vegeta asked, his aggressive, gritty voice and British accent audible.

Lex shook his head. "No. In fact, I've never seen anyone like you guys in my life."

Goku sat down and pondered. "So, what's their chi levels like?"

"Nobody on my Earth knows what Chi is, and nobody uses chi as a source of power. Ultraman, for example, gets his power from the sun. Superwoman? Magic. Johnny Quick? A drug cocktail that gives him super speed. Owlman doesn't have powers, instead using technology like me, and Power Ring can make energy constructs with his ring. The way all of you seem to have the same type of powers is quite unique; I've never experienced it before."

That answer took Goku by complete surprise. "Power but not through chi? That's strange."

"All of you having the same type of power just little variations in it makes it easy to plan. I just need you to agree to come with me to my Earth."

Goku shook Luthor's hand, his eyes donning a serious look. "Sure. We'll be sure to help you."

A blue-haired woman interrupted her friend. "Goku! We don't know how this universe's laws of physics work! You might be going to your death!"

Lex used his device to analyze the spiky-haired Goku. "Since your power is internalized, it should adapt with minimal phase-shift." Goku gave a puzzled look. "Oh, um, your power comes from you, not from something around you; that means it should act the same where I come from."

"Do you have a plan, Lex?" Yamcha asked.

"Of course I do," Luthor said, agreeing. "I've been planning for quite some time."

They all crowded around Lex as he pressed a button on the remote. In a flash, only Chi-chi remained in the living room as the rest were teleported to Luthor's Earth.

PART THREE – UNIVERSES COLLIDE

They materialized in the former headquarters of the Justice League. Instead of finding an empty place to further plan the assault against the Crime Syndicate, they were greeted by Superwoman and at least eight or so of her henchmen. "We're compromised!" Lex yelled.

The Z warriors each assumed their battle stances. "What tipped you off?" Tien sarcastically shot back.

Superwoman jetted straight for Goku. Each of the Earth warriors scattered across the room in retaliation of other targets. Owlman didn't stick around for the fight once he saw how each of them held up against his henchmen. A woman capable of shifting into animal forms charged Yamcha as a bear and pinned him to the floor. A moment later, he shoved against the weight of her form and delivered a swift flurry of punches, sprawling her out on the floor. Tien dodged attacks from a person whose body literally stretched like rubber. No more than thirty seconds in, he analyzed the man's pattern and, after blinding him with his Fist of the Sun technique, he struck him down with a concentrated blow to the head. A dark skinned man wielding electricity as his power went up against Piccolo, who brilliantly grabbed ahold of two nearby henchmen and channeled the charge to them, before flying across the room and kneeing the black man in the stomach faster than he could see. This left Vegeta with three different henchmen, none of which lasted longer against the Saiyan prince than a minute. It quickly turned into Superwoman all by herself versus Goku, who fought by himself out of honor.

_This woman is incredibly strong and durable_, Goku thought as he dodged calculated blows and returned them. _I can't seem to hurt her very much_. He ducked a roundhouse and delivered an uppercut to her face, driving her backwards and upward, impacting the ceiling and coming down through a pillar. She recovered almost instantly and caught him faster than he expected, driving an elbow into his chest. As he calculated her level of ability, which proved difficult due to her strength not coming from chi, he estimated the level of power he needed to charge up to. _She's not quite Super Saiyan level, but if I fight her in my normal form, I'll lose_. He clenched his fists and dodged to the side, spin kicking her in the back of the head, which drove her into another room. It was to gain time to power up. "Kaio-ken, times five!"

He pushed through the concrete wreckage and was met by her fist. He stopped himself before he would've impacted another pillar, and dodged to the right of a flying punch. As she moved past where he was, he grabbed her arm, slamming her into the floor and ceiling, then impacting a straight palm strike into her abdomen, driving her through a wall. He flew outside the building in pursuit. She recovered much faster than he anticipated. A hard blow against his face sent him flying. He righted himself midair and blasted off towards her, his Kaio-Ken leaving a red aura trail. He traded blows with her. This time, as he was powered up, he began to take the upper hand.

The other Z warriors traded blows with three of her made men. Unlike Goku, who believed in learning as much as possible about an enemy's fighting style, Vegeta powered immediately up to Super Saiyan and began furiously attacking the leader of the three. They were garbed in superhero costumes and boasted the same powers as Superwoman, although they demonstrated use of lightning attacks. Gohan was hit by a bolt-and immediately recognized that it wasn't ordinary lightning. The bolt that struck him delivered a vastly stronger punch. Gohan, having been mystically powered up by the elder Kaioshin during the battle against Majin Buu months earlier, had no problem whatsoever with two of them at once.

Superwoman and Goku exchanged blows for what seemed like ten whole minutes. After a certain point, he was certain he had seen all of her abilities and had studied her entire fighting style. Confident in this knowledge, he finally powered up to Super Saiyan, punched her several times in the torso, and then with a knee to the chin, finished her off.

Lex flew up to Goku. "Is she dead?" he asked.

Goku shook his head. "No, she'll survive the fall. She's just out." He looked over. "It looks like Vegeta and Gohan are taking care of those guys that were with her."

Piccolo approached. "She obviously wasn't the leader. Nor was that guy that took off in the plane. Tell us what we're up against. It's hard to calculate their powers because they're so different."

Lex simply flew off. "Follow me."

As they flew on, Vegeta shot Goku a look. "Kakarot, why are we letting them get away?"

"They aren't a threat to us right now," he replied. "You shouldn't kill a weaker opponent."

After collecting themselves from a humiliating defeat, Superwoman and Owlman got into their business state of mind and entered the chamber with the rest of the Crime Syndicate. As Johnny Quick, Power Ring, and finally, Ultraman himself, filed into the chamber, each took their seat at the table. The imposing boss himself stood at the far end. "Come to order!" he said, banging his palm on the table. "First order of business, we have to decide who we're calling up to replace J'arkus," he bowed his head in a rare display of humility, "God rest his soul."

Owlman quickly interjected, hoping to pre-empt several of the other members. "There's no managerial talent in that organization," he explained, quickly and monotonously. "I say we dissolve them and split up his territory."

Johnny was fast to sweep in, before the rest of the vultures around him. "Looks like you've already helped yourselves to the Martian's crew. Had a whole bleedin' bunch with ya."

Owlman rapidly joined in to explain. "Made men need to be associated with the family heads. If you want some of them…"

"We can horse trade for manpower later. What about the turf?" Power Ring shot forth.

Superwoman utilized a weak point in conversation. "I'm with Owlman. We'll divide his action between the five of us."

Power Ring gave her a menacing look. "Who died and made you boss?"

She simply sneered at him, blocking his attempt at intimidation. "You wanna arm wrestle for it?"

Ultraman banged the table again. "Knock it off!" He sat down. "We'll work out details later. Right now, Owlman can keep J'edd J'arkus's guys."

Johnny Quick leaned forward. "Yeah, from what it looked like, you could've used a few dozen more."

Owlman was willing to forgive the shot taken by Johnny. "Luthor's new Justice League isn't to be taken lightly."

"Neither are we," stated Power Ring. "They'll fold."

Ultraman squinted. "Or we'll fold them. Just like anyone else that gets in our way."

"Which brings us to the topic at hand," Owlman began. "Last time, five of six family heads approved of project Damacles. Per our vote, I have begun construction on this." He stood up and clicked a button on a remote, making a three dimensional hologram appear. "The Quantum Eisenstate Device, which will give us life and death power over the entire planet."

"We spent thirty-seven billion on government bribes last year. No more of that. We'll BE the government," Ultraman flatly stated.

Power Ring was still skeptical. "I still don't see why they'd give up the little bit of power they have left."

"Because if they don't," Owlman countered, "we'll do this." Another button push showed waves of energy decimating the Earth. "the device's Heisenberg Uncertainty Override allows us to tap into a virtually limitless pool of destructive energy." Power Ring showed a slight disinterest, even nervousness, at the prospect; Superwoman, in contrast, could not be more pleased.

Ultraman grinned. "Which leaves the governments of the world with two choices: bow down, or die."

Within about fifteen minutes of flying, they landed at an ordinary looking warehouse in the industrial heart of the city. A single word sat on the roof of the building: toys. As the large door slid open, they walked into a huge storage facility that lived up to the title of the building. "Lights," Lex ordered, and the place illuminated.

"Love what you've done with the place," Krillin joked.

"It isn't mine. It used to belong to a friend." He stepped up to a huge computer console. A small monkey climbed onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry Harley," he solemnly said. "The Jester's never coming back." With a few careful typings, he brought up on screen five familiar pictures. "These are the big guns. The heads of the six," he corrected himself, "I should say, _five_ families. This is the Crime Syndicate."

"Who were all those other powered guys?" Tien asked.

"Each of the family heads has thousands of criminals working for them, and they reward their most trusted lieutenants by giving them superpowers. Those are called, made men. Never more than seven or eight at a time." Lex brought up a series of locations on a map on screen. "We'll coordinate our efforts. Attack Syndicate targets as a group, one after the other."

"That's a waste of time," Goku replied. "We'll attack multiple targets at once: it gets more done. We'll form teams of two."

Lex stared at him. "That's insane! We'll be hopelessly outnumbered! When my Justice League fought them, we…"

"We aren't your Justice League," Vegeta interrupted.

"I'll go with you, Lex," Goku said. "Gohan, you're with Piccolo. Vegeta, you're with Krillin. Tien, you and Yamcha are last."

"This is a bad idea," Lex countered.

"Don't worry, Lex, Goku knows what he's doing," Yamcha argued.

Miles away, as Owlman toiled away on his console, trying to locate the Quantum Trigger, his scanners detected a familiar presence. His huge base of operations had no corner left unnoticed. "You're supposed to call first," he uttered. On the screen, countless Earths and their coordinates in space-time read out to him.

"What's the point of having your key if I can't drop in unexpectedly," she quipped. She noticed his work. "So you're still trying to locate the Quantum Trigger?"

"Yes," he simply answered. "In the meantime, I've been working on something else " He produced a modified version of the device Luthor had. "We can use this to travel between the parallel Earths. It's based on Luthor's technology; I've made some improvements."

She stared in wonder at the mechanism. "Do you realize what this means?"

He didn't flinch. "The philosophical implications are tremendous."

She sighed. "Philosophy." She stretched out across the console, tempting him. "There's an infinite number of Earths out there to conquer! We wouldn't have to share our cut with the Syndicate!"

He took the device from her hand. "That's certainly one way to go," he agreed.

At the pier at the edge of the city, a large ship saw several huge containers being loaded onto it. A made man was standing on top of the container as a crane raised it to be lowered onto the vessel. As Johnny Quick and a blonde-haired woman garbed all in black approached, everyone took notice. Tien stealthily flew in under one of the docks. Quickly rising upward, his uppercut took out one of the main henchmen guarding the place. Yamcha destroyed the cord connecting the crane to the payload, dropping it to the ground with a loud bang. He swiftly dodged arrows shot at him from an assailant garbed in red.

The three-eyed Tien incapacitated the woman whose power was to scream at hypersonic frequencies. Unfortunately, the speedster evaded even his attempts to catch with fists. Quickly, though, he remembered his teachings and closed his eyes. He saw the battlefield not with his eyes, but with his other sense. Johnny Quick had chi, even though it was only a small amount; but that alone was enough to illuminate his path as if he were carrying a strobe light. Immediately, he spun to his right and caught the speedster with a clothesline, lifting him off the ground a bit. Then he elbowed him in the side of the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Yamcha cleaned up the remaining henchmen with a ball of chi that he directed like a guided missile to hit all the others. This allowed Tien to levitate high above the ship, cupping his hands in a triangle shape. "Ki Ko Ho!" he shouted. With the attack, a huge beam of energy neatly blasted the center out of the ship, causing it to rapidly sink.

Far from the pier stood the mighty city of Metropolis. Goku and Lex flew onward towards the tallest building in the city: the headquarters of Ultraman's organization. While the others were off taking out major Crime Syndicate operations, the two of them decided they were going to fight the head himself. Countless people below stared incredulously and some pointed upward, as they had gotten used to the pain that usually accompanied figures flying overhead. After a short flight, the two warriors arrived at the building. Lex decided to take the first shot.

"Ultraman!" he shouted. "Bring your arrogant ass out here, or we're coming in after you!"

The window opened and out onto the balcony stepped a red-haired man, garbed in a business shirt and slacks, muscled like a beast and as wide as a brick wall. He regarded the two with predictable hostility. "He ain't here," the man said, angrily glaring at them. "So if you want to talk to him, make an appointment with his office."

"We're not here for the hired hand, Olsen," Lex shot back.

"If you don't want to get your ass kicked, then clear our air space," James Olsen threatened.

Lex squinted. "Make us."

The made man donned an evil grin. "I can do that."

Quickly he flew upward, utilizing his strength to try and deliver a straight punch at Lex. Goku stopped him with a swift knee to the gut. As the mighty henchman toppled over, the spiky-haired Saiyan held him up and prepared to lower him to the ground level. Lex made sure to attract the attention of the intended target; he clicked the supersonic watch on Olsen's wrist. A sound echoed across Metropolis, at a frequency that only a few on the planet could hear. Sure enough, it found its mark.

Glass shattered on countless buildings as a powerful figure zoomed in at tremendous speeds. Ultraman's powerful frame came to a stop about fifteen feet from the two warriors. He stared them down with intimidating eyes. His thick arms folded across an impressive chest, he beckoned to them with anger. "You made a serious mistake," he warned. "I'll tell you, it's gonna get both of you killed."

Goku moved in front. "I don't think so." He turned to his bald friend. "Stay back. Let me handle this."

Lex panicked. "But Goku! You don't know about…!"

"I know," he interrupted. "That's why I want you to stay back; save it."

"But!"

Goku silenced him with a look. "Trust me."

He burst forth and slammed several careful punches at the face and torso of Ultraman. He found them to be of only moderate effectiveness. The supervillain bashed a powerful jab into Goku's chest, sending him rocketing into a building. The punches allowed for the Saiyan to analyze how strong his foe was, carefully adjusting his strength a bit so as to get a more detailed idea, and to avoid having the villain figure out his plan. While the warrior absorbed Ultraman's punches as best he could, the man in question grinned as he believed himself to have the upper hand.

"So, Lex had the choice of the whole big picture, all of reality, and he chose you?" Ultraman goaded as he countered a flurry of attacks. "Man. I definitely have to see how weak these other planets are if _you're_ the prime choice that Luthor wanted." He pushed a kick aside and elbowed Goku in the stomach, then delivered an axe-handle smash to launch him onto the roof of a skyscraper with a boom.

Lex prepared to zoom off but Goku stopped him. "No! I'm not finished yet!"

Luthor countered. "Goku, he's taking you apart!"

Goku levitated upwards, popping his neck. "That's what he thinks. I think I can surprise him yet…save your kryptonite for an emergency."

"You tryin' to think of a way to beg for forgiveness?"

Goku levitated in front of Ultraman. He clenched his fists and a golden aura overtook him. "You can't just put me down like a dog," he replied. His muscles bulged slightly as he transformed into a Super Saiyan.

"You're going to be added to the list just like all the others," Ultraman confidently stated. "I'm here because everyone who's ever stood in my way is dead. I kill whoever I want."

Goku furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay then, Ultraman. We'll play by _your_ rules." He zoomed straight for his opponent, shoulder tackling him in the abdomen, taking him for a short ride at super speed outside the city limits. As they slammed into the ground, kicking up dirt for a dozen feet, the buff supervillain landed an uppercut on the Saiyan's chin. Goku righted in midair and dodged a rapid series of blows.

"I can't imagine you lasting much longer," Ultraman shouted, managing to knock Goku a bit backwards with a successful hook punch.

Goku countered with momentum using a right elbow to the chest and a left rising elbow that almost knocked one of Ultraman's invulnerable teeth out. "Less talk!" he simply said, kicking carefully at the torso. As he ducked a straight punch, then immediately tilted backwards to avoid another right hook, he spun a crescent kick at the right temple of the brute, then elbowed him to the ground. The Earth quaked for miles around. The mighty villain came rocketing up at Goku, with bits of blood from his nose and lips. He scored not one but three vicious strikes to the face. The Saiyan warrior absorbed the pain as best he could as he used his foe's chest and stomach for a punching bag.

Blood landed as splotches for several dozen feet around them, pieces of clothing wafted to the ground as super strong blows knocked them free from garments, and the air shuddered under force sufficient to shatter concrete. Ultraman ducked a fist of tremendous power and changed the tide with a jab and a knee to the face. With Goku reeled, he slammed a fist into him that threw him to the ground. Goku's impact crumbled hills and flattened forests for a mile around.

Ultraman spat some blood out as he wiped his face. His once proud suit had been tattered. "You're the toughest son of a bitch I've ever fought," he said. "But this is where you end. Just like all the others. Nobody triumphs over the Syndicate." With that, he flew into the upper stratosphere. The yellow sunlight eased the wounds as they healed from his stored energies, and he then descended like an attacking hawk, his eyes red aglow from his heat vision. He loosed two mighty bursts from his eyes, zooming down for the intended target. If the heat didn't incinerate Goku, his blows would destroy him.

_Now's my chance_! Goku thought. As he lay in a small pit, he ramped himself up to Super Saiyan Two, blasting chunks of dirt sky high, the electricity around him creating ozone from the air. The two dots of red, expanding as they accelerated towards him, gave him a target as he charged up his trademark attack. "KA…ME…HA…ME…" he shouted as the brilliant white glow shuddered between his hands. Thrusting his palms forward, one above the other, with bases touching, a mighty glow of white blinded everything else for miles around. "HA!"

Ultraman's downward flight stopped due to the opposing force of Goku's Kamehameha. With effort, he pushed the red beams farther downward, opposing the white blast with his own power. Goku poured chi into the blast, making noticeable effort against the heat vision of his brute of an opponent, but not enough. He had a distinct disadvantage; similar to seventeen and eighteen back home on his world, this Ultraman had a limitless supply of energy from the sun. Goku winced; he would have to go to Super Saiyan Three.

"It's OVER!" Ultraman shouted, his eye beams starting to win the war.

Goku charged up in preparation to go Super Saiyan level three.

Ultraman's heat vision suddenly dropped in power dramatically. He suddenly heard both his own and another heartbeat nearby accelerate. As his eye beams failed completely, he had time to notice a familiar figure next to him.

"Lex!...?"

Superwoman sneered at him, holding a piece of blue kryptonite. "Not quite," she teased.

An instant later, the mighty blast from Goku overtook the leader of the Syndicate. Without his power to protect him, the white hot energy blast completely atomized him. Superwoman flew clear of the blast before she would've been hurt by it. Goku realized he wasn't about to get any rest when three people with a similar sigil to Superwoman's flew down to ground level.

"Thanks for killing Ultraman for me," she said, as Goku got to his feet, still powered up. "Now, all I have to do is kill you and no one will think I did it. I'm the new boss now."

"I'm not going to let you continue to oppress millions of people," Goku threatened. The electricity of Super Saiyan two still flung off of him. He started towards her. As he did, his aura faded away. He grabbed his stomach in pain and fell to one knee. "Errgh, what's going on…?" he yelled, struggling to his feet and stumbling towards her. "I must've used up too much energy!"

"Heh," she laughed. "I knew you'd have exhausted yourself against Ultraman." She grasped him by the neck and hoisted him high. He batted at her head with weak blows, attempting to break the grapple. "But I've not had a chance to incinerate someone with the magic word in a long time." She held him above her. "Shazam!"

Goku suddenly smirked. "That's what you think, Mary Batson!"

She gasped. "What?"

An instant before lightning shot down in a single bolt from the sky, he grabbed her neck, his strength apparently returned, and whirled her around. This time, he held her high above his head. The mighty bolt then struck her, shooting off of her and hitting all three of the henchmen from the careful way Goku positioned her. Once the dust settled, she had apparently been reduced in age to a teenager. The tallest and middle aged of the three henchmen was now a little boy, and the other two were decreased in muscle mass. She kicked at Goku, her now weak form powerless against the Saiyan.

"You bastard!" she shouted. "You played weak! How did you know my secret?"

Goku smiled. "I learned how to read minds, you know. You shouldn't make assumptions about your enemy." He pulled the necklace off her. "Once you came nearby, I felt the negative emotions in your mind. I learned you were Mary Batson, and that your power came from this amulet around your neck."

He took off after Lex. He felt the man's power level had decreased, but apparently, he wasn't dead. A short flight into the city of Metropolis once again saw him pick up the partially injured Luthor. As he lifted the man to his feet, two men in suits approached. "We're from the secret service," they said. "The president would like to speak with you."

"I wonder what this is about," Lex said, supporting himself against Goku. He had at least a broken rib, possibly more. The only reason he lived is because when Superwoman threw him to the ground, he pretended to be knocked out. Had he tried to fight, he might have been killed. He looked at Goku. "Did you…kill Ultraman and Superwoman?" He frowned upon murder; it rendered a hero little more than a villain in his mind.

"Ultraman didn't give me any choice. I had to counter his blast with my own," Goku explained. "I might have killed him anyway, had I powered up more. But she stopped his powers with that Kryptonite you had."

Lex wiped blood off his face. "Did you kill her too?" He repeated his words with urgence.

"No," Goku answered. "I didn't need to; without the amulet she can't access the magic that gives her her powers. I was able to trick her into depowering herself."

Lex was taken aback. "How did you know the secret to her powers? _My_ Justice League could never figure that out!"

"I can read minds, Lex. It isn't hard, actually. Master Roshi was able to read minds, and he was just a human." He corrected himself. "He _is_, I should say. He probably will outlive me."

Lex weighed the question he asked next prior to asking it. Whatever the answer was, it would be very important to him. So he made sure to word it as good as possible. "Goku, how do you know when to kill an opponent?"

The Saiyan answered in a surprisingly short amount of time. It actually took the heroic Luthor by surprise. "It depends on the current situation. Most of the guys that fight with me were my enemy at one point; I let them live. I think you have to kill an enemy when they absolutely don't give you any alternative. Better to kill once, than to have killed a billion by letting someone go, right?"

Luthor couldn't argue with that logic, even if he did disagree with it. "Sure."

PART FOUR – FINAL GAMBLES

Some of the Z-fighters gathered inside the Oval Office of the White House. A middle-aged man with a walking cane and an eyepatch approached them. The President, Slade Wilson, addressed them all. "Gentlemen," he began, "I really don't know what to say. I can't say enough about your help, what with taking out the two biggest threats the Syndicate had. On the other hand, are you sure we can handle the rest of them? I mean, the ones they have left are more than enough to wreak havoc on humanity."

Goku stepped forth. "Mister President," he said, "you never know how strong you are until you fight someone you can't beat. I've been in that situation countless times. Plus, we've got the rest of them pinpointed. Their base is on the moon."

Slade stood by the window. "But I can't just show up to help you. I don't want to risk human casualties."

Lex strode forth, angry. "Mister President, this is a war. People have died already. They killed my entire Justice League. We have to…!"

Goku put his arm in front of Lex. "We'll clean it up for you, Mister President. We'll try not to involve you at all. Let's go, Lex. We have to get everyone together; they might have called up allies." He prepared to leave. Before he did, he stopped, reached in his pocket, and threw a medallion on the desk. "By the way, this thing has Superwoman's powers."

On the moon base of the Crime Syndicate, Owlman sat with Power Ring and Johnny Quick. Other than the always-calm brooding intellectual, the other two were in a state of panic. For good reason, also: two of the mightiest of their organization were either dead or powerless. Things looked down and out for them.

"What're we going to do, Owlman?" Power Ring asked, an unusual nervousness to his voice. The proud villain usually only thought of himself. "Both of our muscle are dead. Ultraman got himself killed, Superwoman might as well not exist, and the two of us barely got away after those new guys caught or defeated all of the guys we had with us!"

"You're the one who always has a plan," Johnny added. "Tell us, what are you going to do?"

Several figures approached behind Owlman. At once Johnny and Power Ring were taken aback. "Calm down," Owlman advised. "They're not the same."

Johnny Quick pointed at the leader of the new arrivals. "What do you mean they're not the same? Just because they're wearing different clothes?"

"I can travel between dimensions thanks to Luthor's technology, remember?" Owlman replied.

Power Ring recognized. "Ah. I get it. So, you found these guys from a different place."

Owlman turned to the man now sitting in a chair formerly occupied by the late Ultraman. "So, you remember our arrangement, Kakarot?"

The evil Saiyan propped his legs on the table. "Sure. We clean up your mess, you give us that nice little bomb you've got."

His partner approached. "And whatever else we want," he added.

"I think that's already assumed, Vegeta," Kakarot replied. "So, tell me more about this other me. He actually protects the weak, and all that nonsense?"

The Z-fighters flew towards the moon in a large protective aura orb encasing them all, generated with a little chi from all of them. Each of them had at least a little apprehension about this battle. Some of them, like Yamcha and Tien, felt as though their struggles so far, no matter how difficult, were too easy. Goku had an inkling as well, because he had better senses than them and he felt chi signatures that were substantial. Contrary to them, it gave him a thrill as now, he was in familiar territory.

"Kakarot," Vegeta said, interrupting the flight, "I sense not one, but four huge chi signatures. This ought to be good."

Goku smiled. "I've fought these guys with their strange powers, but now, this I was trained for."

Lex interrupted. "Just what does that mean?"

Goku focused harder. "I can feel malicious intent, but the chi signature is…mine."

Vegeta sensed it too. "I can sense Nappa, and Raditz, and…myself."

Lex cursed his luck. "Just great! He's found evil versions of you. Which means he can dimension hop, which means he's got the Quantum Trigger."

They landed on the platform outside the moon base. There was no point in attempting to sneak in, as the evil Saiyan counterparts could sense chi. The two teams prepared to square off. The three Crime Syndicate members largely stayed out of the battle, recognizing their status as being outclassed. No words were exchanged; the evil Saiyan warriors simply powered up to Super Saiyan level two, and charged them inside the large hangar entrance. As the Z-fighters engaged them in head on combat, throwing themselves head-on, Kakarot unexpectedly flew away from the rest of the group, towards the interior of the base.

Goku clenched his fists. "I'll take care of him!"

Vegeta stopped him. "No, Kakarot; don't deny me this opportunity."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "But, Vegeta, don't you think you're…"

"WHAT? In over my head? Listen to me, Kakarot, I don't care if this version of you is more a true Saiyan or not. The fact of the matter is, I've got to defeat some version of you!" Vegeta clenched his teeth in anger.

Goku shrugged. "I guess. Gives me a chance to fight my brother again!" He joined the rest of his friends fighting Nappa, Raditz, and the other Vegeta.

The main Vegeta jolted after the evil Kakarot. After a short flight, they both arrived in the interior. Kakarot landed on the platform near the bomb. "I am disappointed in you, Prince Vegeta," he beckoned. "Siding with the weak, protecting the ones you should be destroying. Well, in a few moments, it won't matter."

Vegeta zoomed up to nail him one, but instead the bomb and Kakarot disappeared in a purple light. The prince looked around and quickly saw another teleport device lying near the console. He made sure he didn't get left behind. The jaunt led him to a rocky and deserted planet. All he saw around him were stone formations, and wasteland for miles. The night sky showed lots of stars, but none of the usual patterns. It struck him that something must have happened to this Earth. He looked around a bit before sensing a familiar, wicked chi. "I've always wanted a chance to have a rematch with Kakarot, no interruptions," he goaded. "Even if it isn't the Kakarot I'm used to."

Kakarot sneered. "I've always wondered how soft Vegeta could be," he sarcastically replied. "It doesn't matter which Vegeta I face, I'm always superior."

"That's before you fought me, clown!" To this comeback, the evil Saiyan beside the bomb only laughed.

"The outcome of this fight, along with everything else, is meaningless," he fired back. "Every decision, every possibility, exists in some universe. No matter what we do, it's irrelevant, because somewhere the opposite happened. It's just billions of people, each making a universe. Now, we put an end to it all."

Vegeta drew energy into a sphere in his palm. "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans, you crazy idiot, and you're going to remember that for all eternity!"

Kakarot grinned again before stepping down from the bomb. "I'm sure there are other worlds out there where my lineage is royalty, and your family is lower-class." He fired off a chi shot to distract his foe as he blasted forth. He swung but missed at Vegeta's head, instead getting a knee to the chest, which didn't affect him much.

Vegeta reached Super Saiyan two as he let loose a flurry of punches and kicks. His foe matched him blow for blow and the ground shook and broke at places under the force of their collision. He got in a lucky kick and delivered an axe-handle smash dropping his foe to the ground. Kakarot swung and connected with Vegeta's abdomen, launching him through a stone structure. The evil Saiyan then picked up the prince and viciously slammed him against his knee. A kick then launched him quite a ways. He felt Kakarot's power increase dramatically. Looking up, he saw the familiar long hair of Super Saiyan three.

"You shouldn't have gone up against me, Vegeta," he scorned. "I told you. Doesn't matter. Vegeta always goes up against Kakarot…and loses." He lifted his foe by the neck high above his head. "Some prince you are."

Vegeta brought two hands up to his face. "FIST OF THE SUN!" A massive burst of chi from the Saiyan prince illuminated everything for miles around with blinding light. By converting pure chi into sunlight, a diversionary tactic invented by Tien, he bought himself a free escape. He made a beeline for the bomb.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Kakarot screamed, still clutching his eyes as he grabbed a foot that he knew belonged to Vegeta. A strong squeeze crushed the bones in the right foot. The prince screamed in agony as he spun around and wrapped his good leg around his foe's back, holding him in a body scissors.

"Actually, I do!" Vegeta shouted. He pressed a button, teleporting them to another reality.

Kakarot threw Vegeta behind him. Regaining his eyesight, he stormed right for his foe. "You might have saved all of reality, but you won't save yourself from me!"

Vegeta smiled, disappearing as he clicked a handheld device. "I'll always be smarter than you, Kakarot. Always."

Reappearing in the moon base, he rejoined his comrades as they finished wrapping up the battle. The evil Saiyans were gone. The three remaining members of the Crime Syndicate were being arrested by United States military officials in space suits. Among them, was the President, in a tank, and his daughter, Rose, wearing a familiar black outfit with a necklace around her neck. Goku looked at his friend and compatriot and smiled. "Great job, Vegeta! I honestly didn't think you could overpower him."

Vegeta laughed. "I couldn't. But honestly, I'll tell you the same thing I told him: I'm smarter than you. That's all I need to know."

Goku looked up at the new Superwoman, helping to force the Crime Syndicate members into a shuttle. "Hey! You're getting the hang of it awful quick!"

Rose Wilson looked down at her outfit. "It's a little revealing, I'll admit, but hey, at least this thing's being used to protect people!"

"I can't thank you people enough," the President said. "You've given us back our world. I promise, in the face of this, I'm going to be harsher on the bad guys! The national guard is going to help round up the villains everywhere."

It was no more than an hour and the worst of the chaos had died down. The evil Saiyans, minus their leader, were sent to a pocket dimension with no people to oppress and no way out. Rose Wilson, the new Superwoman, pledged to use the former Superwoman's powers for good instead of evil, bringing a new sense of justice to a battered world. Lex, promised to give monetary and physical support to aid in the restructuring of the justice system. The Z-warriors, wounded and injured but bursting with pride over having liberated an entire planet, prepared to head back to their own dimension to partake of senzu and a lot of rest. The worst of it was over.

Goku, however, stopped sharp in his tracks. "Oh no!"

Vegeta avoided putting his broken foot down. "What is it, Kakarot?"

He looked at his fellow Saiyan. "Chi-Chi's going to be mad about me not getting the groceries!"

This brought more laughter from the fellow Saiyan. "Don't worry. Think about it this way: it could be worse."

Goku glanced at him. "Are you sure? You haven't seen her mad as often as I have."

Vegeta pat Goku on the back. "Kakarot, if there's a universe for any possibility, that means that somewhere there's a universe where you were born human, and Chi-Chi was the Saiyan."

This brought a shudder from the both of them.

THE END


End file.
